One simple question can set the stage for your entire interview when you sit down with a hiring manager for the first time, face to face: "So what are you looking for in a new hire that will make them successful in this role?" Essentially, before you spend the whole interview talking up your skills and experiences that the interviewers may think is entirely unimportant or irrelevant to the position, find out up front what they're interested in, and shape your interactions to suit their response.

This tip comes to us from Google recruiter Michael Junge, who shared his experiences with the blog SavvySugar. The advice is sound—having been on both sides of the interviewing table, it's important to know right out of the gate what your interviewer is looking for, and as an interviewer, you don't want a candidate that you've already decided is good enough to bring in for an interview to waste time talking about things that aren't relevant to the job.

We've discussed some other questions you should ask in your interview to leave a good impression, but this should definitely be at the top of your list. Any other interview tips to share? Let us know in the comments.